Cleaner Coal Technology: Remove Oxygen From Air

Making coal cleaner. ‘University of Queensland researchers are working on a process that could make the theory of clean coal a reality. Dr Joe da Costa’s research group, from the Division of Chemical Engineering in the School of Engineering, has developed unique hollow fibre technology that can separate oxygen from air, making the process of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, in coal-fired power stations much easier. Dr da Costa said a lot of current research was focusing on separating the CO2 at the end of the cycle, which is expensive at the moment. “Our process happens at the start, before the coal is even burnt, which reduces the cost of removing oxygen as well as making the capture of CO2 easier,” Dr da Costa said.’